Teachers, Others Head to Tacoma (Wash.) to Learn About Charter Schools

If turnout at a charter school conference held Saturday in Tacoma is any measure, there’s definitely some interest in the independently managed, publicly financed schools that were approved by voters in November.

An estimated 150 teachers, school administrators, parents and others from around the state came to the conference at the University of Washington Tacoma to learn about charters, which are public schools that permit significant decisions to be made at a school level, rather than by a school district or state officials.

Saturday’s audience included educators from the Tacoma, Sumner and Franklin Pierce school districts. But none of them wanted to talk publicly about their interest in charter schools. They say they are keenly aware of the strong opposition to charters that remains within the education community.